One call in particular I received yesterday really got me thinking. A very kind, smart gentleman got my name from a consultant, and called me to hopefully try and get some advice or tips on how to change careers/specialties within the IT industry. I commend him for calling the week before (I wrote down his number, got sidetracked, and failed to call him back), but then he called me again. Persistence, I love it! He came from an AS/400, mainframe development backgroud, and classified himself as older (55+ years old). He’s been having a heck of a time finding work, and has finally decided to change careers and move to the web with something a bit more mainstream (Java or .Net).

His main questions revolved around training, education, what skills are hot, recommendations on marketing himself, thoughts on being entry level when he’s 55+, etc. All valid questions. But the thing I see the most from people looking diligently for work is that they don’t think outside the box, they don’t do anything different from the rest of the unemployed looking for work (most of the time they just don’t know any different). They apply for the all these positions online, and their resumes go into the great unknown. They might attend some networking functions or some other formal get togethers, but not a ton more than that. Most think training and education are the key. I agree, training and education are essential, but that’s not going to be the difference maker.

I told him that 100% of the candidates that I’m looking to employ, the first thing I do is hop on google and do a simple search for their name. I look for their blog, their participation in user groups, posts on technical forums, try and find them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. In IT, online participation is pretty essential in my opinion.

I never imply I’m an expert, so nothing I say is remarkable. But I told him a few simple tips to leverage his experience, training, or education towards that new profession.

1. Start a blog. It’s free. Buy some technical books related to the new career/specialty you want to pursue, read them, review them, blog about them. Blog about a specific part of the technology you learned. Put this blog on your resume, and obviously feed it into your LinkedIn account. Blog about things you’re learning in the training courses you’re taking, the certification you earned and advice on how to become certified. This will immediately make you more experienced that your entry level counterparts, and will set you apart from other job seekers in your shoes.
2. Want to become more engaged and “younger”? Get on Twitter. Start following technologists that share your same specialty, and engage with them. Feed your blog into twitter, post articles specific to your specialty. You’re unemployed, so you have time. Now is the time to do it.
3. Use LinkedIn like crazy. Connect with recruiters, search for companies that use the technology you’re learning, engage with people. Just don’t sit back and wait for people to come to you, reach out to them. Connect your Twitter account, Blog, and your reading list to your profile.
4. Build a web app. Learning .Net or Java? Build an app. Don’t you think that proves you know what you’re doing? Point people to it, blog about what you learned, reference it on LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. Seriously, why not? It’s a trivial amount of money for the type of experience and personal branding you get from it.
5. Pimp out your resume. Various ways to do this, but make sure that summary on the top sparkles. Note your overall experience, but more importantly, note your recent experience and expertise with the new technology you’re learning. The summary should be perfect, and reflect what you want to do and what skills you have to do it. If you’ve been unemployed for a while, don’t just leave your last position as the first one everyone sees, that’s a gap. Put your web app you developed or your blog as your employer, and describe in detail what you’ve learned and accomplished in the time you’ve been unemployed just like any other employer in your experience section. And if you’re concerned about age discrimination, leave off your earlier years.

People are frustrated with the standard application/interview process and I don’t blame them. If you’re frustrated, do something about it. I hear people complain a lot, but I also don’t see everyone stepping up and being proactive in their job search. Please please please do not become complacent, you need to do things out of the ordinary, or else you’ll just become another applicant.

In his 1973 article, “The Strength of Weak Ties,” sociologist Mark Granovetter, after interviewing dozens of people, determined that most jobs were landed through “weak” interpersonal ties — not friends telling friends, but acquaintances telling friends.

In other words, if you’re mostly asking friends to send you job leads, you won’t succeed as fast as asking acquaintances, who then ask their friends to help you.

Counterintuitive, yes, but aiming your networking efforts at people you don’t know well is a faster way of gaining access to new social groups, where new job leads may be.

To quote Granovetter: “[T]hose to whom we are weakly tied are more likely to move in circles different from our own and will thus have access to information different from that which we receive.”

Weak ties include “an old college friend or a former work-mate or employer, with whom sporadic contact had been maintained,” according to Granovetter.

Here are three ways to turn weak ties with acquaintances into solid job leads …

1) Throw out “hooks”

An easy way to help people latch onto your ideas is to give them mental hooks.

About 6 weeks ago, I got a networking email from Cleo P., which began as follows:

=========

From: Cleo [mailto:cleo@XYZ.com]
Subject: Networking Favor Request from Cleo – Hey, Do You Know . . .

I have entered into a very targeted job search campaign which focuses on a select list of potential employers; and I was wondering if you could lend me a bit of help. Could you let me know if you know anyone who works at any of the companies on the following list so I can ask for a referral?

=========

Now. I get dozens of emails like this every week. Most I can’t do anything with. But for some reason, I decided to check Cleo’s profile on Zoominfo.com. It turns out that she and I graduated from the same university.

This changed everything. I’m more likely to refer a fellow alum to people in my network than someone out of the blue, because we share an affinity.

So, the more “affinity hooks” you give to people you barely know, the more likely they are to latch onto your message and forward it to people they know.

Example “hooks” to use in networking messages:

* schools you attended (alumni ties can be strong)
* companies you’ve worked at (former co-workers are another form of alumni)
* fraternities, sororities, other non-religious and non-political groups
* charities or non-profits you’ve volunteered at

In Cleo’s case, I know the director of alumni career services at my alma mater very well, so I forwarded her email to him. I don’t think it hurt her chances.

2) Offer a reward

One way to get people to pay attention is to pay them cash.

That’s the angle M. Shane Smith, a marketing professional from Bloomington, Minn., has taken. He’s offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who gives him a warm introduction to a senior-level executive that leads to a job.

What is a warm introduction?

“Networking for many people means just getting a name, but a warm introduction is when someone does a little ‘gushing’ about you to others. For someone to gush, we need to meet,” says Smith, who hopes his $1,000 bounty produces more meetings.

In about 6 months, it has led to 6-8 warm introductions, 80% of which produced conversations with decision makers, according to Smith.

Smith also encourages referrals by including talking points in his networking emails, so recipients can speak about his skills specifically. How does he do it? By including quotes from executives in his emails.

Example: “Challenging and problem situations do not intimidate Shane and I often referred to him as: Mr. Motivation, Mr. Communication and Mr. Innovation.” – Chief Operating Officer.

3) Mail out letters

If a networking email sent to 40-100 people can produce 2-3 job leads, that same message — printed and mailed to only 10-20 people — can produce an equal or greater number of leads.

That’s because, in my experience, a snail mail letter merits more attention than an email. Perhaps because paper letters imply that you took the time, effort, and postage to get in touch.

So, I suggest you make a shortlist of 20 “weak networking connections” you want to get the word out to by U.S. Mail.

What can you write?

One Guerrilla Job Hunter, Jeff D., from Oxford, Michigan, wrote and mailed a four-paragraph letter and hit pay dirt this past November — his 20 networking letters produced three solid leads and a job, within four weeks.

His letter had three key parts:

1. Introduction: “I have recently left XYZ Co., where I was a JOB TITLE, and handled THESE JOB DUTIES.”

2. Achievements: “I played a pro-active role by _______________ that added __________________ to the bottom line and reduced costs by _________________________.”

3. Employment goals: “I seek a significant leadership role where my ___________________ skills and experience are required.”

The words aren’t as important as the fact that you’re clear about what you’ve done, what you want to do next, and what you’d like the reader to do.

Whom can you write to?

Well-connected school friends, former co-workers or managers, former clients or vendors, attorneys, real estate agents, bankers, old neighbors, and the like.

Jeff mailed his letter to 20 such people he knew professionally. It was a “weak tie” — a former vendor — who ultimately helped him find a new job.

Now, go out and make your own luck.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities

• There WILL be continued higher than average unemployment numbers through the end of 2010. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but things aren’t going to get immediately better this year. After talking with colleagues in the consulting business, the general attitude towards 2009 was dismal. The silver lining was a busier than normal December. I always say the consulting business is a good barometer of the general employment market, but full-time hiring is about 6 months behind contingent hiring. So, if December was the start of something positive, we’re still not going to see the unemployment numbers dropping much until Q3-Q4.
• Increased contract/contingent workforce. IT has stabilized in general, but companies are still a little skeptical of making a large investment in hiring employees right now. I think we’re going to see a gradual increase in the number of full-time vacant positions in the upcoming months, but I’m certain we’re not going to notice a huge difference in non-contingent vacancies until the end of 2010 and into 2011. Companies need IT workers, so we’ll see more contract labor this year than in years past.
• High turnover. When things do officially get better, we’re going to see employees turning over like crazy. I talk to and know a lot of people who are getting handed more and more work and hours, for less money, and for no appreciation. However, most people are smart and aren’t complaining about having a job, and willfully accept the additional tasks and responsibilities. But beware, those people are looking, and when they find something they’ll be gone faster than donuts at a fat camp. Now is the time to invest in pumping up employee morale, the turnover that’s bound to happen will cripple some organizations.
• An increased investment in technology. Companies have been taking the wait and see approach now for well over a year. Projects have to be done, companies can’t take 2 years off of investing in technology. Besides, don’t you invest in technology to gain efficiency and a competitive edge? Gartner estimates that we’ll see a 3.3% increase in IT spending in 2010. I predict Application Development, IT Security, and SAP as growth areas specific to IT.
• An increased amount of “off-shore” / “on-shore” outsourcing/development. This is never going away, but I think the bargain shopping CIO/CEOs, IT leaders, etc. are going to look for ways to still invest in IT, but dramatically reduce their cost. Hate me if you want, but I think this is a fairly big misnomer. If managed correctly and heavily, off-shore development can reduce costs, but managing that relationship and model is extremely challenging. More times than not, the cost savings diminishes very quickly because of the quality of the work and the increased amount of time it takes to complete the assigned tasks. If anything, we’ll see a bigger increase in contract labor to clean up the mess that was made. I think the larger outsourcing arrangements will continue to fade, and smaller niche consulting companies will start to see an increased interest in their outsourcing capabilities.
• A small increase in start-ups, particularly healthcare. There’s more money flowing through the economy right now, the stock market is up, and more investors are looking for ways to make a buck. With government healthcare reform, we’re going to see companies popping up left and right to take advantage of the new policies and programs (when they’re all ironed out). The entrepreneurial spirit will kick in and people with smart ideas will get the funding they need to launch their ideas into solutions.
• Older workforce, and baby-boomers delaying retirement. 401k and retirement accounts were destroyed over the past 2 years. While some of that has come back, it’s going to be 2-5 years of additional work to recover what was lost (at least). Companies may offer buy-outs and incentives to get some employees into retirement, but I don’t think many will take the offers. Companies will continue to find ways to leverage the knowledge and experience of that workforce, and they will be a key demographic in assisting companies with their part-time openings, particularly retail.

It’s fun to throw out predictions, but let’s hope 2010 is better than anticipated. Dust of the cynical negative cobwebs and start thinking positive about the possibility of growth and stability in the employment sector. The economy is recovering, things are looking better and brighter, but it’s going to take some time for everything to shake out.

I know I say this A LOT, but I’m not perfect. I’ve made these same mistakes, but I make a diligent effort to help people out, no matter what the circumstance. After seeing people struggle to find jobs, it’s made me realize how much it hurts and how difficult that process can be, especially nowadays. If you’re a recruiter, please, please, please, make this one little effort. Respond to the candidates that you have interviewed or that have interviewed at your employer. I don’t care how big of a company you are and how busy you are, that is just simply common courtesy. I was a little disappointed to learn just how common this is. Simply ridiculous if you ask me, and something that takes so little time to do. If you’re afraid of hurting feelings, it hurts more by not responding.

I have a true commitment to my employer, and I have an internal drive that never dies. I think with all the technology we have strapped to us at all times, it’s tough to escape. I remember when I was a bit green in this industry, and didn’t care as much. I’d take my vacations and completely disengage from everything work. It was fine and great and all that stuff, but what sucked was coming back to an inbox so bloated it would take me an entire day or two to attempt to get through it. And the biggest issue; a week away from candidates, hiring managers, and clients can leave a hefty dent in your wallet if you’re paid on commission. You hear people talk about stress, and the need to take vacations. A recent study by Towers Perrin argues Employees Stress can add to Perfomance Risk. I agree, a little. But what’s more stressful, missing out on a placement or two (or more) and taking a significant hit to your book of business, or being available at times even when you’re on vacation? I guess I lean towards keeping my book of business built up, but that’s just me.

So how can you refresh while maintaining your book of business?

The key trend I’ve seen over these 10 years is the flexibility and understanding from most employers. Most understand recruiting is not an 8-5 job anymore. If they don’t, please educate them! It’s a job that you get done whenever you can, whether that be closing a candidate at 7 at night, or meeting a candidate before he goes to work at 6:30 in the morning. You do what you need to do. But likewise, employers need to understand and remember that extra time you put in (even while you’re on vacation), and allow you that flexibility to take a day off or an hour off here and there when it’s slow. Worse case, they better credit you those hours spent working on vacation. Make sure to talk to your manager, ask them for that flexibility. Most will not have an issue, as long as you’re delivering results and bringing in revenue. If you’re not producing, don’t ask.

I think it’s important to use those hours/days to do something you really enjoy. Go play a round of golf, hang out with friends, take a 3-4 day weekend and venture somewhere away from home, or whatever else you like to do. I find it’s essential to do things you really enjoy when you’re taking those extra few hours. If you’re just going home and mowing the lawn or grocery shopping or some other mundane weekly chore, you’re not going to get that refreshed feeling. When you aren’t meeting candidates/employees for lunch, go take a walk outside, go for a run, something to rid your mind of work for a little while.

Now on the other side of the coin, if you’re the type the NEEDS an extended vacation, there’s a few important steps to do before taking one. For the few weeks leading up to a vacation, you should work extremely hard to put together a detailed, lengthy hotlist for the sales organization and for whomever is filling in for you. The few times I have taken a vacation away from work, I made sure the sales folks were completely aware of all the available candidates I had for each particular skillset I was responsible for. It helped, but I rarely made placements because I wasn’t there pushing the envelope. In my experience, the person filling in for you or looking out for your book of business wasn’t particularly concerned about helping you when they still had their own responsibilities to worry about. Keep that in mind.

I always looked at vacation hours spent working not necessarily as a negative, as long as my employer saw the effort and value I was giving them. America is burnt out, we see it all over. People work too much, and don’t take enough time for themselves. But put things into perspective, you don’t need to take a 2 week vacation every year. A day off here and there, a long weekend every once in a while will typically suffice. In fact, it makes me cherish those afternoons off a little more, and I get to take a few more afternoons off compared to taking 2 straight weeks. Remember, your employer or employees are contacting you because they need you. That’s a good problem to have these days. I’d be scared if I didn’t get called. As soon as you’re not needed, well, you’re not needed.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this.

One case in particular really pissed me off and I’m going to highlight her advice below as another example. But me being Mr. nice guy I didn’t really do much about it. But after thinking about it more, I should’ve spoken my mind to this person and told them to shut their pie hole and quit giving people advice when you have no experience and/or background to do so. It was such bad advice, that if my brother-in-law would’ve taken it, he would’ve have had an even bigger hurdle to jump to get a job (and it’s already hard enough). And I guess what pissed me off the most, was the tone and the arrogance of the advice and email. If I was fresh out of college, I would’ve said “Wow, this chick knows what she’s talking about”. But, if you do your due diligence, you’d find her on LinkedIn and know that she’s been out of college for 2 years and hasn’t worked in a recruiting/hiring capacity whatsoever…..in fact, not even close. Yet, she’s an expert and gives advice to others. Here’s just a few of the many examples of her advice below.

“A resume is not just a piece of paper, it is a projection of yourself, so with it comes a pep-talk and advice. Confidence wins jobs, and confidence needs to shine through on a resume, otherwise the interview never comes. (Which I also coach, by the way, so if I get a little wordy, I’m sorry – I love helping people with this stuff!)”.
OK, ya a resume is a projection of yourself, super. Confidence wins jobs, sure. She coaches interviewing, that oughta be interesting!

“Work experience comes before education. ALWAYS!!! While the degree is an accomplishment and something you worked for and can be proud of, you have something now that employers want more – experience!!”.
Wrong! Work experience doesn’t always come before education first of all, not if you’re fresh out of college or have been out of college for a while but have been getting by with employment that isn’t your career path. So she’s saying you should highlight your bartending jobs in college or that position in the warehouse packing boxes….good idea! Resumes are meant to be flexible. I hate that she said “ALWAYS!!!”.

“Remember – white space is not bad – it is actually very important in a resume. It shows you have made a choice, and are only telling the reader things that you find to be important. Save the rest for the interview!”
WTF? White space is not bad, what the hell does that mean? It’s important in a resume? Again, WTF? I especially like “Save the rest for the interview”. So she’s saying purposely leave a bunch of stuff out of your resume, because it leaves the recruiter/hiring manager in suspense….they’ll want to interview you to find out more. Now that’s funny.

“There should always be the same # of bullet points under each heading.
Are you frickin’ kidding?

“Not centering the name gives the resume a flow that psychologically works to your advantage – it makes the reader think a) you are organized in your thoughts, b) you are confident enough in who you are that you do not need to center yourself on the page.”
OK, my anger is turning into laughter now.

“Make the name HUGE!!! This is you. If the resume ends up in a pile, a quick skim through the pile will always bring yours back to the top!”
Great idea! Make your name 58 font, it’ll stick out.

“2 fonts: sans serif and serif fonts work together to help separate thoughts and ideas. The fonts aren’t character fonts, showing that you have chosen these with purpose and decision, and are not afraid to stand out, yet still maintain a professional attitude.”
I’m starting to laugh a little harder now.

Oh yah, and she took his nice, catchy professional summary out of his resume and put this objective in there “To obtain a full-time position in a world-class organization utilizing my abilities as a reliable, productive, customer-focused team member.”
Boy if that doesn’t scream hire me, I don’t know what does!

All this brings up a really valid point. How and when do you consider yourself worthy of a professional blog? Great question. Since I’m new to this little community, I don’t really have an answer. But it’s something everyone should ask themselves before giving out career advice. Remember, new college graduates and the unemployed are a sponge desperately waiting for any kind of advice – and sometimes they don’t know how to decipher the good and the bad. Now I can’t blame the people posting/giving bad advice ALL the time, I think ultimately they are trying to help. But as we continue to see an enormous increase in the amount of blogs and people involved in social media, we’re bound to get more people claiming expertise in certain subjects. All we can do as recruiters (with experience), is to keep trying to help people find jobs, and respond and stick up to the crappy advice we all see. Educate as many job seekers and candidates as possible, research the people that are giving you advice. If they’re worth anything as a recruiter or HR professional, they’ll be on LinkedIn or somewhere on the web. Find them, and make sure they have the experience to be giving out advice. And most importantly, get second opinions on all advice you receive before implementing them into your job search or career path.

Other ideas?

Define your Brand. I think the first step in personal branding is to take a step back and define exactly what you want your brand to be. Do you want to be a leader in the recruiting industry, do you want to be a part of the Minneapolis Groovy/Grails movement, or a do you want to be a lobbyist for green peace? Whatever it is, define who your target audience is and how you want them to perceive you, and deliver a consistent message about your brand.

Market your Brand through Social Media. This is easier and easier to do these days, purely because of the availability of social media at every corner of the internet. As mentioned above (and every single day of our lives currently), Facebook, Twitter, personal blogs, professional user groups, and LinkedIn are all ways to promote yourself professionally (and personally for that matter).

I think the biggest benefit of Twitter is to drive people to your blog and professional profile. I’m still in the infancy of using Twitter, so take my comments with a grain of salt. Twitter has been a great learning tool for me, but also a chance to change the way people view me in the marketplace. And the more people you follow, the more people that follow you (and ultimately see your blog posts). My only advice there is to only follow people in your target audience. I haven’t fully utilized all of Twitter’s power quite yet, but I do see it as a surefire way to differentiate yourself from your peers if you ever do find yourself looking for a job.

Blogs are great, and really easy to set up. Wordpress is simple to create a professional blog, and there are many other sites that exist to host blogs (blogger.com, blogspot.com, typepad.com, etc.). The main reason I wanted to start blogging is to create and promote my personal brand and the company I’m working for, while also getting an opportunity to research topics of interest and share them with my target audience. By doing so, I’m basically validating my experience to employers, clients and candidates, and I’m showing the world that I do know some things about my profession (depends on who you ask .

LinkedIn is basically an online resume, it’s personal branding at it’s best. Now with LinkedIn apps, you can integrate your blog, current books you’re reading, and your travel destinations with your profile. I can tell you right now, if I’m meeting a candidate for an initial interview, the first place I look is LinkedIn. And if that person has a blog, I look through it thoroughly. I look at the people they’re connected with, if we have any shared connections, and I look at all recommendations. LinkedIn groups and Q&A is also a good way to promote yourself. LinkedIn exists to help define and promote your personal brand, you better use it.

A newer “online portfolio” concept through PersonaVita, is promoting “an exciting new way to capture your experiences, validate your contributions, and draw from your social, professional, and academic achievements to create a personal brand online”. My first glance is that it’s a more involved LinkedIn networking site, drawing from others to validate your experiences and accomplishments (sort of like recommendations on LinkedIn).

All these are great ways to promote yourself, and the more you use the better.

Profit from your Brand. Hey, click on the link to Dan’s book above….what a great way to profit from your brand! If you have time and more importantly the knowledge to do that, more power to you. Dan’s situation is unique as he is more of an expert, not to mention a great writer. Many of us who have full-time jobs are blogging once our kids are in bed and have about an hour to do so. It’s tough to get everything accomplished in that timeframe, especially if you’re writing a book. So how else can you profit from your brand? Well, I think if you’re branding yourself appropriately, you should have an increase in marketability and job stability; which ultimately leads to more money in your pocket. Don’t forget, as recruiters you’ll be driving candidates to your social networks, and ultimately that will give you more options for increasing sales and commissions. As technologists, you’re driving recruiters and employers to your profile that will increase your marketability and hopefully higher paying jobs and/or gigs. Of course if you’re selling a real tangible product you’ll bring in some coin that way. You can always start advertising on your blog to earn a few bucks here and there. Adsense is easy, and if you get big enough, I’m sure you’ll attract other advertisers. Ultimately, I don’t think personal branding is going to make me rich, but I’m hoping it will increase my marketability, job stability, and give me more options for career advancement.

In conclusion. I could go on and on about this, but I think you get the picture. We’re being branded everyday by companies selling their products and images to us. We need to look at ourselves and careers in the same light. We are a product, we need to define and market this product. If we don’t, we’re going to lose out to our competitors (whoever that may be). Remember to be careful and what you’re putting on the web, it could ultimately affect the way anyone views your brand and could cost you more than you think. Take a proactive approach to marketing your brand, and make sure to deliver a consistent marketing campaign to your target audience.

Ask yourself a question, if you’re looking for a job, what do you want potential employers to see? Your tweets about how you hate John McCain, or tweets/blog post on how to avoid office politics to increase productivity? Remember, recruiters/employers are resourceful, we’ll find you….and we know what you’re doing and where you live! Ok, maybe not where you live Remember, it’s a competitive job market, and always will be. You don’t want to give ANY employers/recruiters/hiring managers reason not to consider you for a job. Who knows, maybe they love John McCain.

I keep in tune with the economy and job market (although I hate the media right now), and I always laugh when people try and make an accurate evaluation of when we’re going to come out of this recession. Like anyone frickin’ knows, c’mon. I keep hearing, Q3, Q4, blah blah blah.

Personally, I really don’t think we’ll see a significant amount of progress until next year. Consumer confidence is absolutely destroyed right now, and companies are taking a “wait and see” approach. The tech field has been relatively stable in the Minneapolis market, but I don’t foresee any growth in the immediate future. I think we’ll see more layoffs and companies turning to consultants to do the work that needs to be done, but it will be hit or miss. Obviously retail and financial companies will be hurt, but the beauty of the Minneapolis job market is the amount of diversification that’s present. Healthcare should do well, the medical device manufacturers should maintain, insurance is doing well. When some industries are down, there’s always something else that picks up the slack.

Also, companies use technology to gain efficiency, and I don’t foresee a big change in that this year. However, they will be very cautious on who they hire or engage for the things they need to get accomplished. My advice, sharpen your skills now more than ever. If there are jobs out there, it will be more competitive than ever! You’ll be facing other applicants more qualified than you at times, and you need to prepare yourself for that challenge. Make sure you don’t forget about personal branding, afterall you’re a product and you need to know how to present yourself as a quantifiable entity.

Keep feelers out there at all times, and don’t burn any bridges. I always laugh at people that get pissed at me because I contact them or email them, what a stupid move. That person will be the one that gets laid off and has NO contacts or opportunities on the horizon, then he/she will post his/her resume on Monster.com and get killed with phone calls from all the staffing companies offshoring their recruiting capabilities to India. Good luck!

So, stay positive right now and remain optimistic, things are on the mend and we will pull through this downturn. But, don’t become complacent about your job and finanical situation….be prepared.